Sunshine & Winter Sheep

The UK has been basking in summer sunshine for the past few days, how long it will last is anyone's guess, but as anyone in England knows we have to make the most of it while it's here!

Everything is growing like mad in the garden including these beauties

As i think i may have said before i love Hostas! My husband thinks they are boring plants, but what does he know, he just mows the grass ;-) I took these photos about a week or so ago and they are even bigger now. Last year they were plagued with snails and slugs, but this year they have been free so far, i have my defences in place, #1 defence - is copper band around the tubs, (electrocutes the little blighters if they try to climb the tub!) #2 defence - is wood pellet cat litter sprinkled around the base of the plant, (the slimy suckers can't crawl across it!) #3 defence- apparently they like cheap larger! don't laugh, it's true! poured into small containers just sunk into the soil, they party all night and you have a collection to dispose of the next morning!

I haven't been idling my time away in all this sunshine, i have been stitching.LHN Winter Sheep Monthly Ornament - stitched on a scrap of 28 count even weave with DMC threads substitute was made for writing as i hadn't got that particular number.

This stitched up really quickly, it probably took me longer to make it into the ornament - something i still struggle with, that's why they will all most likely be hanging pillow ornies as I'm more comfortable with that finish and the tree I'm planning on putting them on if big enough to take them.

That's all for now - next week is Bank Holiday weekend so an extra day off work again (yippee!) and I'm off to London with my eldest daughter for a few days for our 'posh' weekend, afternoon tea and dinner at the Ivy restaurant mingling with celebs!! so hopefully lost to share with you next time. In the meantime lets hope for the sun to continue to shine so we can all spend more time in the garden like this -

Molly the sun worshiper - unfortunately she forgets she sports a rather heavy fur coat!

Until next time x

ABC Framed & Prom Photos

Stevie had a wonderful time at the Prom on Friday, it was great to see all the kids dressed up, they all looked really glamorous:-) and thankfully the rain held off. Here's Stevie and two of the lads in all their finery.

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I collected my ABC from Betty's on Saturday.

Abecedaire free chart from here

Stitched on 28 count with Anchor threads 1013 & 1014

I was surprised when i looked back that I've been working on this on and off for a year - eek! time flies when your having fun, lol

The past week has been very busy with other things, so not much stitching done, hopefully I'll do some catching up this week and I'll have some progress on Rubie Owl to share with you next time.

So that's it for this time, short and sweet!

Speak soon x

Just Another Bank Holiday Monday And It.....

Was a very typical one for the UK, not very warm and ending in rain. I knew i was being optimistic when i bought a new patio set last week, might be weeks now before we get to use it! Being Bank Holiday we had an extra long weekend so we decided to drive out to a car boot sale and have a rummage - i love a good rummage, do you? I was to be disappointed today though, nothing worth rummaging in, seemed like everyone was just getting out last years 'un sold's' and my only find was another Tudor book - The Queen's Sorrows, Suzannah Dunn, (yes, i know, I'm becoming obsessed!) If only I'd known how interesting the Tudors were when i was taking History at school i might have fared better than a C in my exams (or was it a D? been so long i forget!) either way it was not good.

Wednesday this week bought on another throat infection which really knocked me for six, i went into work only to come home again mid morning because i lost my voice, not a good thing when you work on a switchboard, Thursday i managed to go to work but absolutely had no life in me whatsoever and come Friday morning i woke up as a mutant with a second set of eyelids, the result of something that did not agree with me again, so instead of going to work i made a trip to the doctors. I'm to take antihistamines for a month to try and settle it down (whatever 'it' is).

Anyhoo..you didn't come here to read about my ailments so how about a stitchy photo?

LHN Snowy Pines

DMC Threads on a mystery piece of linen

I don't know what count the fabric was i used but this one came out smaller than the others, and i think now i do prefer them a little bit bigger. I also managed another finish on my ABC, no photos until it comes back though, i was so eager to get it up to Betty's for framing i forgot. I hadn't realised how long this one had been going until i looked back through my blog, it was last April i started it, where does the time go!!

Stevie has her School Prom this Friday so a busy few days ahead being filled with hair, nail, tanning and makeup appointments. I'm not going to sit down and tot up how much this Prom has cost, it's just a lot, an awful lot, but i am so looking forward to seeing her all dressed up, I'm sure it will be worth every last penny:-)

So, next time hopefully lots of photos of Stevie in her glad rags and my long awaited ABC finish, which incidentally i have dedicated to Stevie as it will mark some milestones in her life, she turned 16 in the week i finished it, officially left school last Friday and of course her Prom.

Well that's all folks, except to say that i have added some swaps / trades and some freebies on my other blog, the link is in the sidebar if you want a wonder on over to see if anything takes your fancy...if it does, give me a shout.

As always, thank you for your lovey comments which really do mean so much to me as do your continued visits to read my ramblings. x